Blog Oficial de Turismo de Gran Canaria

The humble potato, one of the jewels of Gran Canaria’s cuisine, has a passionate tale to tell.

Let us tell you the story of an incredible journey which is not yet over. Our hero in this story is not that big, but has become world famous, has received countless awards, and has inspired poems and songs, has fed whole generations, and has become one of the greatest symbols of Gran Canaria’s gastronomy.

Gran Canaria harvests chestnuts until midway through December, and visitors can savour their autumnal flavours on the way back from the beach.

They are shaped like littIe hearts. It is no surprise then that they are considered the real spirit of autumn, with a very special nuance in the case of Gran Canaria. At other latitudes, the chestnut heralds the arrival of the cold, with stories of families sat around the burning logfire while the world outside is freezing and the wolves are howling. Don’t worry, there are no wolves in Gran Canaria. Besides, right here you can savour their autumnal flavour on your way back from the beach if you come across a stall where they cleverly roast them for you on a camp stove.

A number of municipal swimming pools in Gran Canaria’s interior offer some refreshing summer bathing in unique spots.

You’re lying flat on your back while the sun is slowly burning up every last drop of the water on your skin following your latest dip in the water. You just turn your head a little to take in the wonderful view over the stunning Roque Bentayga from the Tejeda municipal swimming pool. Indeed, Gran Canaria hides some fine secluded surprises in its interior. The doors to these facilities are open to you for a very reasonable price, and include great bathing and superb views.

The pleasant Gran Canaria summer is an invitation to enjoy life to the full with endless days in which to do anything you like.

The sun towers high over the summer skies in Gran Canaria and will not budge an inch. If you think about it, you can see why. Under its blazing glory, the days run happily on for ever. In this the summer season the days have a ritual-like feel to them, reflecting a serene beauty under an ever present bright light.

Gran Canaria is an exceptional viewpoint for astronomical observation. Photographs taken of the Milky Way are a fine example of this.

This tale has several protagonists, and two settings that are situated huge distances from one another. And it develops at very different times. But finally, the pieces slot in together almost magically in a quick flash. The elements link up in the internal mechanism of a single tale which highlights the positioning of Gran Canaria as a window to the Universe, thanks to its excellent conditions for star gazing.

Breathe in the mountain air and go on a ramble to see the blue tajinaste plant, one of Gran Canaria’s natural emblems.

The seeds that the blue tajinaste plants sprout from are of a discreet earthy colour. They do, however, produce bushes endemic to Gran Canaria that grow into natural towers reaching up to four metres in height, topped off by gorgeous bunches of bluey flowers. This species is indeed one of the island’s natural symbols, and it is precisely in the month of April when they are in full bloom.

The eternal Spring in Gran Canaria is accentuated at this time of the year with an eclosion of new life.

The calendar announces that it is now Springtime, leaving behind Winter. Gran Canaria listens and just smiles, as Spring is just another full time resident on the island. The finely striped black bee is never short of a flower to suck on nor short of reasons to take to the skies and buzz along happily.

Here begins a journey of the senses around Gran Canaria, through the colour blue, one of the island’s essential elements.

Some living beings from Gran Canaria inhabit an ever blue territory, because the sea and the sky are the canvass on which their lives are etched. The first shearwaters, Atlantic birds par excellence, begin nesting in March high on the crags on the island. At nightfall these marine tones are intensified, and the birds can be spotted flying round in groups, skimming over the water, gliding for a few minutes before shooting forward once again with five or six flaps of their wings. Suddenly, they plunge under the sea in search of fish, splitting the frontier between the two immense blue expanses of Gran Canaria.